A Generational Legacy

House sp 17

by Beth S. Buxbaum

Generations of Grasse family members have lived in this centuries-old homestead in Chalfont. So it was only fitting that when Jim Grasse was ready to marry and settle down, his family asked him if he wanted to buy the property. Jim, a sixth generation Grasse, and his brother Rod, purchased the 27-acre property from their parents, Willard and Gladys, in 1987. The property was then subdivided. Jim and his new wife, Lisa, moved into the homestead with the farmhouse and Rod built a home on the property next door. And surrounding this property are several other Grasse homesteads. (*The family was first known as Gras, then as Grass and today it is Grasse.)

How did the Grasse family come to Bucks County? According to a shared family history and one documented and written by Mary Bilog, Anton Gras emigrated to America from Baden, France in 1825 and settled in Philadelphia. After marrying and beginning a family, he decided that the environment would be better in the countryside. In 1840, Anton bought a farm on Church Rd. Lisa added that he was quoted as saying that “buying a farm was a better investment of his money than putting it in a bank.”

In 1870, Anton bought another farm on Upper Church Road that he rented until his son, Anthony B, a second generation Grasse, moved with his family. On the property, which is now the home of Lisa and Jim (a sixth generation Grasse) was a traditional Bucks County fieldstone farmhouse. Built in 1819, Lisa believes it was a working dairy and crop farm. Several outbuildings are original to the property, including a milk house, bank barn, machinery shed and tool shed. The barn has been rebuilt twice, first in 1910 after it was destroyed by lightening and then in 1939 it was destroyed by fire. All the outbuildings are still on the property.

The original house had four rooms, a living room, summer kitchen and an upstairs space. Still remaining so today, the walls are fieldstone and the floors are soft yellow pine. At some point there was a third floor attic that was renovated to accommodate the growing families. The attic had an existing room with a door that was used as a bedroom. In the early 1900s an addition was built allowing for a larger living and kitchen area along with upstairs bed and bath. In its earliest years the house was set back from the main road. Lisa explains that the farmhouse was originally situated a few hundred yards back. Two years after moving in to the homestead, Anthony took down the house and re-used the stone to rebuild the house closer to the road to make it easier to get to his market route. They took produce by wagon to the train station to go to the market in Philadelphia.

This is where the farmhouse still sits and has been lovingly cared for by the next Grasse generation. As a young married couple, Jim and Lisa continued the Grasse legacy and ownership of the property. Jim's father, Willard, grew up in the house but did not stay to raise his family there. After Jim's grandfather, Anthony Grasse, passed away his grandmother stayed in the house until 1985 when it just became too much for her to maintain. “It was empty for a year,” Lisa continues, “until the family asked the grandkids if anyone wanted the homestead.” At this point Jim and his brother Rod agreed to subdivide and purchase the property. Lisa and Jim worked on the farmhouse for a year before moving in. Before taking residence, they focused their efforts on the exterior. “We chipped off all the stucco and slate and sandblasted the exterior to expose the original fieldstone facade,” Lisa explains. She says that years ago it was believed that it was fancy to put slate over the stone. “We wanted to expose the stone and bring the exterior of the house back to its original appearance,” she adds. Another exterior project was putting in all new windows.

A year later, in 1988, they moved in. Now they focused on the interior renovations. “We moved in with a few modifications to the living space,” Lisa explains. Other than renovating a bathroom, they felt the house was move-in ready. Slowly and methodically Jim and Lisa began to refurbish the house. Project by project, room by room, with three small children afoot, Lisa and Jim worked on their centuries-old farmhouse. “Every year we had a different project,” Lisa states, “and it was truly a labor of love.” Nothing major was done to the house since the 1940 addition. Jim and Lisa knew that the house's footprint needed some updating. With a configuration of several small rooms, the living space was very closed-in.

Their first major project, in 1989, was to renovate the kitchen, which was the original summer kitchen on the back porch. “This space was on a green slab of concrete,” Lisa describes, “with green cabinets.” All new cabinetry was installed, along with an expanded counter top/island in granite and all new appliances were added. “We loved the original ceiling, which is actually wainscoting, so that was not removed,” Lisa adds, “we just added some recessed lighting.” They also added a huge bay window to the side of the house, bringing in much needed light. The kitchen floor was redone with a wood laminate. To add a contrast, they put down a brick floor in the adjacent space from the side entrance, which flows right into the kitchen, back to the dining room entranceway. Transitions are evident from old to new spaces with tiny step-ups going from the kitchen to the living room and the kitchen to the dining room, which was the original kitchen.

During the kitchen renovation, they removed a window on the entrance wall into the original living room. An open archway was created from the kitchen to the living room to open up more space. Another change space took place in 1995 when they removed the wall between the living room and the front entrance and second floor stairs. Now they can move freely from the living room to the front entrance. Living room features were enhanced by exposing the original stone wall and the original ceiling beams. In the den, part of the 1940 addition, they removed the plaster ceiling. The attic was renovated in 2000 to create a bedroom for their two sons, and today it is a guest room. In 2005 they removed a window on the wall between the dining room and the den, opening up space for larger gatherings. A renovation of the master bedroom took place in 2013. They added a room to function as a dressing area/walk-in closet, again to open up the space. They also removed a window and made it a doorway. With such small rooms, interior modifications opened up their living space, adding more light, as well as access from room to room and accommodations for gatherings.

Gatherings large and small define their lifestyle. Holidays, special occasions, kid’s gatherings, church groups, work meetings ... the Grasse homestead was the place to be. When they ran out of interior space, gatherings overflowed to the outside. To accommodate those gatherings, they enhanced their exterior living space over the years with a series of new venues. “We worked on the outside slowly, without a plan in mind.” Lisa continues, “It just happened. Collaborations took us from one point to the next.”

“It all started with the fire pit,” Lisa explains, “this was our original sitting area and when the kids were small we had many bonfires.” For the kids, they removed the chicken coups on the second floor of the barn and created a playroom. Over the years the gatherings grew in size and number. As the gatherings grew, the added sitting areas grew. “The family joke now is where should we sit,” she adds. Off the side entrance they built a flagstone patio with a pergola. This space has two seating areas with a high top and a traditional black cast aluminum tables and chairs. Adorning the patio area is a large Koi pond added in 2000. “Our two sons hand-dug the pond,” Lisa adds. They refaced the barn with siding in 2000, using W. S. & Son Construction.

On the other side of the drive is an arbor that leads to a pavilion, one of the more recent additions in 2011. Lisa describes how this space has been used for all of their family gatherings, as well as friend and work parties. “Each new space was created based on who gathers here,” Lisa admits. Surrounding themselves with family and friends is their life.

Carving out their home has taken years of modification. “Everything has been changed over at least twice now,” she adds. Since they moved in to the house in 1988 it has been a true labor of love. With three small children in tow, Jim and Lisa worked endlessly to redesign and upgrade their living space. Lisa admits that most of the changes made to the homestead over the years were centered around their lifestyle. “We made changes based on the friends and family who gather, like church groups, youth groups and both family units,” she continues.

Today, with three grown children and many upgrades later, Jim and Lisa are now empty-nesters, except for the family dogs, Emma and Ryah. They may not have any kids living at home, but there is always someone stopping by. “The way I look at it, this is not just a house, it's a home that Jim and I have created,” she says. Lisa feels good about how they now reap the benefits of all those years of work. Their daughter Erica was married here in September of 2016 and their son's wedding will take place here this June. “Everyone still loves coming here to gather and enjoy what we have created.”

Beth S. Buxbaum is a freelance writer from the Philadelphia area.

William N. Waite

Worthington and Shagen Custom Builder

Now in our fourth generation as a family business, at Worthington and Shagen Custom Builder we build custom-crafted, extraordinarily detailed, and fine-finished new homes, renovations, restorations, and additions.